Theresa's in a clear combat situation here. Her party's been attacked by someone and that someone has made a nasty, potentially life-ending veiled threat. I think everyone would agree that she's justified in pulling the trigger.

Yet she's not.

Why? There's a lot of reasons here. I thought about this whole situation, and Theresa's issue with firing her pistol, when I wrote this chapter. In a way, it is central to the story.

So, I know why I think Theresa can't pull the trigger.

What do you think? I'm really curious what y'all come up with.

See you Monday!

Laura
 


maybe she is uncomfortable with deciding to kill another being.   Here's the rub, she does not need to kill him.  T brought that thing with her for protection, and she and Chrys are being physcially attacked.  This warmongering profiteer is not only attempting to kidnap Chrys, but has assaulted her.   Take his knees out to keep him on the ground, grab your girl and high tail it home to research, learn, and prepare.

mythtress
 


Well, she's seeing Ruby...  and, while he's been nothing but unfriendly, Mr. Misteerie is obviously a sentient being...  Maybe the threat is not imminent enough to overcome the paralysis -- including mental paralysis, so she can't see the "kneecaps" option Laura suggested -- still locked in the horror of killing Ruby? :(  She's the Key from the Devil, right?  While I've enjoyed her superpower of knowing where to shoot, the Devil *is* about being stuck in bonds of your own making... till you can laugh!  Oooh! maybe Mr. Yuck can't be hurt, except by laughing at him!

Lukkai
 


My opinion as to why in short? Trauma is a bitch. Mental trauma doubly so.


On a completely unrelated note: YES! The Letters from the Flaming Crab 2016 edition is funded! And we're getting some commissioned art even. I was kinda hoping at the start that we'd make it until colour illustrations, but actually got afraid we'd not make it at all midway through, when the numbers just didn't seem to rise anymore. So mostly I'm just happy and eagerly awaiting the letters, including my captained month of May. :D

NoRad
 


Quote from Laura:

maybe she is uncomfortable with deciding to kill another being.   Here's the rub, she does not need to kill him.  T brought that thing with her for protection, and she and Chrys are being physcially attacked.  This warmongering profiteer is not only attempting to kidnap Chrys, but has assaulted her.   Take his knees out to keep him on the ground, grab your girl and high tail it home to research, learn, and prepare.


Have you ever had any training in firearms? From what I've heard,  they always teach to aim for center mass. This guy(s) is/are so skinny that probably the best place to aim is actually the head.
David
 


It stems back to Theresa's strict Catholic (or Christian, I forget...) upbringing, if I remember, particularly during the raid on the Inn, when she had to kill Ruby, which caused her a great deal of trauma and pain, even though she was saving Chrys' life (as well as her own).

Even though she is (as she was then) morally justified in killing to prevent the innocent deaths that will certainly arise if Mister MistEerie were to have their way.

TheDerangedOne
 


Fucking hell, the classic "Change your appearance to mess with a protagonist's head" trick? Theresa, what you're seeing is already missing a quarter of their head and half their brain to go with it, shooting them would be a mercy because whatever life that's available from that ain't worth living.


But then again I'm jaded as fuck so that's probably something I'd only find easy to do. Then again the whole appearance change also wouldn't work on me since I've seen that trick too many times not to notice it. I was going to say not that stupid but this is more of an emotional play than an intelligence one. That said, here comes dramatic, and not all that legal practice, therapy.

Edit: wait no, that's a third of her head. Either way, still ain't the person you know and regret shooting, put them back down in the ground so they can rest.

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